Clowe (who won’t play vs. Wild) and Murray’s thoughts about trade talk — and lots of local ties for players

The print edition story is going to look at those two trades between the Sharks and Minnesota Wild some 21 months ago and, yes, it’s pretty evident at this point in time that, for now, San Jose has not come out ahead. Still working on that one, but decided there were a few other things to pass along first.

Ryane Clowe won’t be in the lineup against the Wild on Saturday, but should be good-to-go Monday night in Anaheim after his first rigorous workout since aggravating a shoulder injury a week ago in Los Angeles.

“He looked a lot better today,” Todd McLellan said of Clowe. “He was involved a lot more physically, which is always a good sign with that type of injury.”

(Unless he no longer hangs out on Twitter, Clowe probably couldn’t miss the snide references to the fact Martin Brodeur now has one more goal than he does.)

*****Clowe and Douglas Murray are both unrestricted free agents at the end of this season and that makes them candidates to be moved before the April 3 trade deadline.

Both echoed Dan Boyle’s comments today about hoping they aren’t about to be leaving San Jose.

“I don’t pay too much attention to it,” Clowe said. “I’m in the same position as Boyler. I really like it here. I understand things happen, but I would like to stay here and see it through. Obviously I haven’t had the year I wanted, but it’s not affecting it, the trade rumors.”

Murray said he only worries about playing, noting that trades are more of the business side of things and out of his control.

“I try to play every game hard,” he said. “I don’t have any trade clauses or anything. In one way it’s kind of nice because that means nobody’s talking to you about it. If it happens it happens, but I love it here in San Jose and I want to stay here.”

For those of you who feel that Murray should have been scratched more than once this season, here’s McLellan assessment of what the big guy brings.

“Is he the fastest player? No he isn’t. He never will be,” the coach said. “But he’s physical, he’s good on the penalty kill. He blocks shots. His commitment level is very high. He’s willing to step in an get involved in extracurricular if he has to.

“There’s a lot of elements that he brings and we always talk about ingredients. When you look at our D, he’s separated himself a little but from some of the other guys because of what he brings. And it’s nice ot have those elements or ingredients available.”

****Lots of family and friends connections here in the Twin Cities and that means extra ticket requests from players. Joe Pavelski’s family, for example, rented out a suite at the Xcel center to accommodate their group of 20 making the drive from neighboring Wisconsin. Likewise, another ex-Badger, Adam Burish, has some friends showing up.

Justin Braun is even closer to home, having grow up in St. Paul. Even so, don’t expect him to be in the lineup against the Wild. Braun was among the last players to leave the ice and Todd McLellan has liked what he’s seen from Jason Demers as of late.

Still, McLellan insists Braun isn’t in any long-term dog house.

“Look at Braun’s body of work. It’s been pretty good, but he had a fall-off and we got another player going,” McLellan said. “Braun will be fine when he gets back in.”

****The Wild should have three ex-Sharks in the lineup, plus onetime San Jose prospect Charlie Coyle; Marty Havlat and Brent Burns were in Minnesota before coming to San Jose.

Call the “ex-factor” a wash, McLellan says.

“Those players who have spent time in San Jose, of course we know their strengths and maybe their weaknesses,” he said. “But there’s an organization over there that knows our players as well. I don’t know if it gives any team an advantage or not.”

David Pollak

David Pollak has been following the NHL forever and at the Mercury News as an editor or reporter since 1987. For almost a decade he wrote about the Sharks as the paper's Fan in the Stands before joining the sports department in 2001. He became the Sharks beat writer before the 2007-08 season and began this blog at that time. You can also follow him on Twitter at @PollakOnSharks.

For all you people that want this thing blown up I would strongly advise against it. Not that it doesn’t need to be blown up because these team absolutely needs to be taken apart and started over!……….BUT this game should be the biggest reminder that Doug Wilson cannot be the one who does it.

He is the worst GM in the league. He has been getting fleeced in trades. Just look at the Wild’s line-up compared to ours. Its a scandal. He needs to be fired ASAP and then hopefully hired by another team with a deep farm system. Then our new GM needs him to be his first call.

I repeat you do not want to blow this team up with Doug Wilson as GM! I dont even want a minor trade with this guy in charge. This guy would trade a dollar for two nickels in a cocaine heartbeat because even though there just nickels there is two of them. He is an absolute atrocity! Other GM’s must ice their face after the smile they get from seeing Doug Wilson’s name on the caller ID!

In other words, Doug Wilson must go before anything else happens!

#4

That is what most informed observers believe, that it is Sharks mgmt that needs changing.

Matthew

As I read the quote above, it felt like TMac could have been talking about either Murray or Clowe… Or Handzus? Others?

Slooooooow team.

David Pollak

Zeus,

Nobody. Initially I lumped Coyle in with the others, then when I rewrote to make the distinction he was a prospect, the number did not get changed.

Three ex-Sharks, one prospect.

David

Buddy Elf

Ohhhh Andy… So cute still trying to deny it and now you are blaming it on your dorms…

Anyhow, get an avatar and prove it.

Go to gravatar.com and sign up and it will start showing here within a day.

MLBSF

Johnny San Jose says:
March 22nd, 2013 at 9:58 am

If they get in the playoffs, do they have a shot? Absolutely… everyone does once they’re in the tournament. Just ask Harvard after last night’s victory.

====

Really Johnny?

A shot at what?

Beating/upsetting their first round opponent? Harvard has a zero percent chance of winning a national title.

Is this what you’ve lowered the bar to for the Sharks? I don’t know if you want to concede using Harvard as an example was god-awful.

But if you don’t, this is your biggest doozy to date. After knocking on the door of the Stanley Cup Finals for the past 6 or so years, you think the Sharks are now the Harvard of the NHL playoffs?

smh

MLBSF

Also Buddy Elf,

It says a lot about the humiliating collapse of the Sharks’ franchise when you’re more worried about Andy getting a “gravitar” than discussing how Minnesota has screwed us from top to bottom in these trades.

What a nightmare for Buddy Elf. The players Wilson had traded away have propelled the Wild to a better record than the Sharks, and a much, much brighter future .. particularly with Coyle.

No wonder Buddy Elf has told the press “no comment” when asked about his views of the game tomorrow and the comparisons in talent between the Wild and Sharks.

Maybe Buddy Elf would rather discuss the exciting fact that his favorite player Ryane Clowe is tied for second place! in the goaltender scoring race. He is only one goal behind Brodeur!!!

Best of luck Ryane!

smh

Steve

CHEECHOO!

Dunlap

Wild won’t win a cup any time soon, nor will The Sharks. Still I am blade to be rid of Heater and party animal Seto is good but Burns may turn out to be a top 3 forward. Sad to be a fan of such a mediocre really team now.

Topcat

Hahaha…if Wilson were let go, I think probably 20 teams would be right there to pick him up…yes, he “went all in” when it appeared we could have won the cup (but injuries, poor officiating and bizarre bounces cost us against Vancouver), yet we still can make the playoffs this year. LA won last year as the last seed..you just have to get hot, lucky, and be healthy. Want to be Edmonton, and miss the playoffs for six straight years? Wilson is a top notch GM, and brings his experience as a hard nosed player to the team as well.

y

How is Brodeur having more goals than Clowe a snide remark? It’s true, no?!

#4

That LA comparison is so dishonest it is pitiful. You have to take away the entire first half of the season under hang back Terry Murray. And then take away the next third without Jeff Carter.

Dec 12, 2011—–Following a four-game losing streak that dropped the Los Angeles Kings into last in the NHL in scoring, the organization fired coach Terry Murray on Monday afternoon while the team was in Boston for a Tuesday game against the Bruins.

Then they played a few games under interim coach Stevens. Then they took a few weeks to get acclimated to the Darryl Sutter system. Then they acquired Jeff Carter on Feb 23, 2012.

So, the only comparison would have to be from after Feb 23 to the hoisting of the cup. If they had Sutter and Carter from the beginning they would not have finished 8th.

#4

They finished only 2 pts behind Phoenix for the div crown. so, obviously, with Sutter and Carter from the beginning, they would have easily won at least a couple more games and finished 3rd, not 8th.

That Bearded Puck

Sharks beat kings last two games of the season.

Obviously had they met in the playoffs the Sharks would have won.

See, I can make up stuff too.

Dirty

Don’t worry DP, if things get out of hand around here I’ll take care of it.

Snow-
Couldn’t resist.

#4

Maybe they would have, if there was a shootout in the playoffs.They couldn’t even beat the Blues, who got swept by the Kings.

Snow Shovel

Dirty – I love it! For those who may not recognize Dirty’s avatar, it is a plunger that sends an electric current through wires to a blasting cap attached to dynamite so he can “Blow-up” the comment section here when it needs it (which is often).

Don’t change it – keep it!

cap-o-113

@MLBSF, I think regarding your comment that folks are more concerned about the gravitar than the sharks says a lot about how old, tired and worn out it is to read your posts. We get it trade Marleau, fire Wilson, and anything short of cup is a wasted season. If you were living in Phoenix one might expect you to leading the “trade Shane Doan” crowd. Job transfer to Calgary? Leading the “trade Iginla” folks.

Come to think of it these are not such bad ideas. Last year the kings were 29th in scoring when they added Carter and made their run. Is their a “Sharks Carter” out there this year?

The Sharks have the 29th in scoring credential to match the kings and likely a low 7th or 8th seed too. Hmmm. What would you give up (other than Marleau) to get a trade deadline scorer?

MLBSF

Well cap-o-113,

Do I get paid a lot of money to be creative and try to figure out how to get a trade deadline scorer, or is that Wilson’s high profile job?

And if there is nothing left in the Sharks’ arsenal to do so, then that’s the whole point of the criticism of Wilson and what he’s done to the Sharks.

Also, the Kings didn’t just make the Columbus trade. They switched coaches, which was almost if not just as important as picking up Carter.

skr213

Not seeing many comments that are actually about the blog post. Seems to be common these days, people just have running themes that they keep arguing without any relation whatsoever to the actual post that they’re commenting on.

Anyway, I like that TMac is standing up for Crankshaft. I’m not happy with the speed of this team, but that’s more on our forwards and pucking moving Dmen; not a stay-at-home, put-them-on-the-ice kind of Dman like Murray. I think his importance is greatly underestimated by Sharks fans this season.

jack

They both need to go. See if you get a couple bags of pucks for them before they aren’t even worth that much. Then work on trading Marleau, Thorton, Havlat, Boyle and Handzus This team aint winning anything; stick a fork in’em.

Johnny San Jose

MLB — That game against New Mexico State last night was Harvard’s season. They’ve done what no other Harvard team has ever done. Won a game in the NCAA Championship.

Not sure I’ve had too many “doozys” in the past but for what it’s worth, I’m not too excited that I used that Harvard analogy to make my point. I’m sure you can’t get past that and refer to my posts following that debacle but if you care to do so, I expanded on my thoughts from the last posting.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Brainstu

I think everyone will have a better weekend if they skip the game tomorrow and do something productive with their saturday!

Bill

Thanks David for the article examining the impact the trades have had on their respective team. It shows that Doug Wilson made two bad trades that hurt the Sharks. The trade for Burns was for 3 first round players (Setoguchi, Coyle and Phillips). Burns was never worth that trade. Minnesota has to be laughing at the steal they got from Wilson. Should he be held accountable for these trades, or should we forgive him because he made the Joe “Fozzy Bear” Thornton trade?

It wasn’t just this trade that benefited the other team. The trade of McGinn to the Av’s has benefited the Av’s and the Ducks for that matter. The Sharks let Winnik go and both he and McGinn are playing better than Galiardi. Plus the Av’s have 2 players from the Sharks farm club playing in their system with the potential of making the Av’s team down the road.

How about an article examining the Sharks farm system and the players that are supposed to be developing down there. If reports I have read are any indication, there is a lack of depth and talent, mostly because it has been traded away.

MW

Maybe we can trade some of the repetitive posters in here for some Minnesota blog posters?

Beer League Rocks

MW, That’s a great idea. Maybe we can get Snow Shovel on that.

Beer League Rocks

JSJ, You are one of the most even keeled posters here. Come on man, where’s your grit?:-)

Snow Shovel

I’ll try and arrange a trade. We don’t really have to come out ahead, do we? It would be real easy to make up a list, though. 🙂

GSDubs

Can you really point fingers at Tmac? When he had good players, he won. Remember? Not the cup but he had them playing like serious contenders for the cup every year since he took over. Until last year. Because of the players he was coaching.

If you think a coach is only as good as his players, then it speaks volumes about this years team. If he had good teams and they didnt perform, then finger point at Tmac all you want. But this isnt the case. Unless you’re delusional and think this roster is really talented enough to be a cup contender and Tmac isnt getting enough out of them. Really?

So fingers really must point at DW. He created this roster. He depleted the farm system. He made the trades that tilted against the Sharks. He’s responsible for the slow deterioration of this team, and provides no concrete evidence that he’s the one to fix it as he has no past history that would support it.

It is a shame that the past few season have seen a lot of thoughtful and knowledgeable leave this board due to the trolls.

I spend most of my time on other boards now (but not as SactoShark!)

Angel From Texas

Has anybody else heard that Derek Joslin is back at Worchester?

MLBSF

Johnny San Jose says:
March 22nd, 2013 at 4:14 pm

I’m not too excited that I used that Harvard analogy to make my point. I’m sure you can’t get past that

=======

Well Johnny,

Of course I can get past that now that you’re telling me you don’t think it was a good analogy.

It made it sound like you were satisfied with the Sharks simply being a spoilers role.

You just feel if the Sharks get into the playoffs, there is enough parity in the Western Conference that you never know….anything can happen.

And I completely disagree. There is no way. And none of us should be one bit happy the Sharks have become the borderline playoff team that now has to back into the postseason where they will quickly be eliminated.

Renoshark

GSDubs:

Not one of your better posts and that is saying something. A coach, any coach, in any league, must employ a system that fits around the strengths and addresses the weaknesses of his roster. TMac and DW changed their system and identity last season. It became a defensive oriented, tight-checking, puck possession style. That style doesn’t suit the Coutures, Pavs and Havlat types. Nor will it ever fit their styles. We’re not a strong team along the board yet he asks them to be. We’re not overly physical, yet he asks them to be. Force feeding guys in a system ill-suited for it, is a recipe for failure. That’s one major reason why players asked to play this style doesn’t flourish in SJ.

Again, how were Havlats’ and Burns’ stats with Minny prior to coming to SJ? How were their stats after arriving in SJ? I can add even more players to that list if you would like. If an NBA coach had a shorter, quicker roster that excelled at the fast break and 3 pt. shooting but played a slowed down half court game against taller teams, without much success, would it be the GM’s fault? The fans’ fault? I’m no DW fan either but to hold TMac blameless is ridiculous.

GSDubs

Reno…aside from the first sentence, points well taken. Except I dont hold Tmac blameless.

I’m immeasurably frustrated with the Sharks season, particularly the lack of regulation wins. Long-time rabid fan who, at times this season has gotten so frustrated that part of me resents them and occasionally hopes the season tanks so something of note has to be done in the offseason. Feel guilty about it, but just being honest.

My point is, devil’s-advocate wise (or Sharks PR-wise, you be the judge) out of all 30 NHL teams, the Sharks are actually 12th in points percentage with a .552 average. That’s high middle of the pack. I’m of the mind you shouldn’t get a point at all for losing in overtime, and would like them to change the points format to 3 for regulation or OT win, 2 for shootout win, 1 for shootout loss. The Sharks, despite their penchant for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, are having a moderately successful year when judging them by the cockamamie NHL points system. When you get rewarded just for clinging on for dear life for 60 minutes, it is no wonder that a team like the Sharks (without an iota of killer instinct) is content to muddle around and snatch up singles here and there.

Renoshark

GSDubs:

My bad on the first sentence. Not in the best of moods after watching Georgetown gut my bracket. 🙂

Snow- BTW, some fine work several threads back. Looks like you are back in mid-season form.

ZEKE

I’ve never really liked the idea of 1 style for a hockey team. It isn’t like basketball, baseball or football where the unit is mostly the same guys, all game long.

In hockey, even the most heavily used forwards play less than 1/3 of the time and d-men only get a little more.

So why not have different lines play different styles? I know that lines change, etc. But when you allow a line to develop its own identity, you’re more likely to get a line like Wellwood Pavs and Mitchell. They looked nothing like any of the other Shark lines — while going about a combined +40 in just 2 months.

The flip side is that when you keep juggling lines, no one quite knows where the other guys are anyway — and instead of tape to tape passes, you get tape to skate passes and everything bogs down.

Buddy Elf

LOL @ MLBSF’s meltdown over the comment about a gravatar that Andy asked how to get.

Makes sense… When he had an avatar, he was exposed as using sock puppets because he forgot to switch his avatars on his puppet name “cooch” (who we all knew was him anyway). [by the way, whoever said “MLBSF, you exposed your cooch” after that incident still has the best quote ever on WTC.]

Just the mere mention of an avatar sent him off the rails like Lisa.

Where is Lisa and her revisionist history such as the Kings winning in “ONLY SIXTEEN!”?

Phil

Angel from Texas @ 33 –

Yep, it’s true. He tweeted about it.

Yet another player who we’ve brought up to the NHL, made them look good, traded them to another team, and got back.

Buddy Elf

“you’re more likely to get a line like Wellwood Pavs and Mitchell.”

So, a line that gets steamrolled physically and on the score sheet in the playoffs?

They had a way above baseline run, and were decimated in the playoffs. Much like McGretzky last season… His performance on the Avs last season was way above his baseline and now his performance this season, especially lately, is dismal.

Sharx

Buddy Elf, you act is old and tired, get some new material.

Columbus wins tonight, they are right on the Sharks tail too. Good to see hockey in Ohio getting a little support. Nice crowd tonight.

MLBSF

Well Buddy Elf,

Lisa prolly couldn’t take one more minute of the constant anti-women comments from the publicity department, including from one employee who was banned and some how returned.

Also I have never had more than one screen name here. Only people who can’t generate enough publicity on their own resort to that.

.
.

Columbus wins again.

As someone else pointed out, it’s interesting how that team has actually improved dumping their best player and changing GM’s.

Interesting indeed.

Buddy Elf

I must be tired… The quote was “Your cooch is hanging out.”

—

Sharkx: you are a mess… Didn’t you say the same thing about Edmonton winning with your other screen name? How did that go?

ZEKE

Geez Buddy, do you understand hockey? There is no such thing as a 3rd line wins that wins every match-up. If they win most of time, its a good thing.

But the point was, if you allow for different styles with your lines, you can get that ‘above baseline’ combination by allowing them to mesh in the manner that fits them — instead of the one-size fits-all manner that seems to be the case in SJ.

Buddy Elf

“As someone else pointed out”

Like the guy with the same schtick as you who posted 7 mins ago… Yah, you don’t use puppets.

Teejay

Ryane Clowe: “Obviously I haven’t had the year I wanted…..”.

Mr. Clowe: I heard the exact same thing from you last year. One year is perhaps excusable. Two aren’t. Like TMac says; if you want to stay in San Jose, then play like it.

Beer League Rocks

Buddy Elf, I’m pretty sure that was me, but I don’t think either quote is accurate, but close enough. Some of those comments would probably get you banned these days.
Lisa ran away after getting smacked down by Rose. Rose where are you by the way, that was awesome. Wish you could work that magic on some others….. I think Rose got on my case back then, deservedly so.